Legendary Foxspirit
by KiannaLeighMV500
Summary: To try to figure out Kurama's strange new behavior Yusuke starts reading up kitsune and finds himself caught in the age old youkai's web. Rated M for adult dreams and "self-help".


Yusuke stared at up at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. It looked like he wasn't thinking anything, but in reality, he was thinking quite hard, harder than he usually thought about anything. It was the middle of his afternoon classes and he was sitting in the library of all places. Usually, the place reeked too much of intellect and school-related work for him to go near it, but that day was different. He had to look something up, and so he did what any normal seventeen year-old did when they were confused about something: he made a beeline for the computer and got on the Internet.

He'd gone through pages and pages of tales and even double-checked some information in the books of the library. In the end, he gotten all the information he could ever want but was still as lost as before. He sat at the computer, staring up the ceiling, thinking. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice anyone near him until they spoke.

"Doing some research, Urameshi-san?"

Yusuke looked up to see the one teacher that didn't absolutely piss him off, Takanaka-sensei. Yusuke sat up straight and looked at the desk with the many books he'd been using and the computer with many different web pages open, and then looked back at the teacher.

"Ahha. No, teach. Just poking around." Yusuke smiled nervously. He wasn't sure how he was going to cover this mess.

Takanaka-sensei had known him since before he died, back in middle school. He was the only person outside his group that had come close to seeing that things weren't exactly as they seemed with him. After he'd come back from demon world and enrolled back in school to get his GED, he found out that the school he enrolled in was headed by his old middle school teacher. The man kept an even closer eye on him now than he did then, and for some reason, Yusuke got the feeling he had never really about that whole, "I went to America to live with my father" story he'd fed him when he asked him where he'd been.

The older man leaned over to look at the screen before picking up one of the books and flipping through it, careful to not loose the page it had been on.

"Mythology, huh? Never figured you'd be interested in things like that; culture and history." The teacher put down the book his was holding and picked up another. "Although, you studying myth and lore seems a bit fitting," he glanced at Yusuke as he replaced the book and reached for another, "Given your habit of tale weaving." There was a look in his eye when he said that comment, and it made Yusuke nervous. He was fairly sure now that the man didn't believe he'd ever stepped foot in America. The teacher read the page of the book Yusuke and left open and raised his eyebrows. "Is there a reason all these books and web pages are on kitsune?"

What sort of lie could he come up with to get him out of this? Yusuke swallowed. "Well, it's like you said: I'm interested in folklore. I decided to start with kitsune."

Takanaka-sensei gave Yusuke a hard look that Yusuke simply smiled at.

"Really? Why is that?" The older man stared down at the teen and smiled a little too nicely for Yusuke's liking.

The ex-spirit detective swallowed and tried to think, but all his thoughts were jumbled together. Then one of his thoughts lead him somewhere: Kurama had told him once that the best lies weren't really lies at all, just creative interpretations of the truth. Yusuke decided to get creative."Well, you see, there's this fox hanging around my house lately," Yusuke started.

The teacher looked surprised. He wasn't expecting such a normal, easy answer."Oh?"

"Yeah," Yusuke continued. "He keeps showing up. He seems to like my cooking."

"Oh yes," Takanaka-sensei said. "You've got that little shop. I hear it's good."

"Yeah. I learned everything I know from Keiko's parents," Yusuke said with pride, happy that this conversation was going so well.

"So the fox comes around from the smell of your cooking?"

"Uh-huh. I make sure I have enough for him now. I'll make dinner for two and he'll come by out of no where. I'll just turn and he'll be there, sitting on my windowsill."

"You know Yusuke," Takanaka-sensei said with concern, "It's dangerous to indulge wild animals in such a casual fashion."

Yusuke smiled with a mix of apologetics and nervousness."Yeah. I know," he muttered, "But he never does anything. Just sits there, eats, keeps me company. He never even shows up if Keiko's around."

The teacher smiled."Oh, I see. You're wondering if this fox might turn into a beautiful woman and marry you." The teacher looked over the books. "Yes. Kitsune have been known for a long time for doing such things. Yours seems to be a classic story. The fox comes, night after night, only to be gone by morning." He looked pointedly at Yusuke. "That fact that it doesn't appear when Keiko is in the house only farther advances the legend. Perhaps one night you'll wake with your kitsune curled in bed with you."

Yusuke laughed in what he hoped was not a nervous way."Yeah, well, that would be something, wouldn't it?" He glanced away for a moment, and then looked back at the teacher casually. "Not that I'd mind a sleek and sexy woman appearing on my windowsill for dinner every night. Sounds like a good deal to me." Yusuke laughed in his normal, rude way, with Takanaka-sensei shaking his head.

"Yes, well, that would be a strange thing indeed. But anyway, you live in an apartment, don't you? Doesn't anyone else see the fox?"

Yusuke thought a moment before answering."Not that I know of. He comes to my window, eats, sits with me, then leaves. None of the neighbors say a thing about him." Yusuke shrugged. "Keiko saw him once. She was scared by him until I calmed her down."

His previous teacher grinned. "Well, with good reason; foxes are dangerous."

Yusuke gazed down at one of the open books. It showed an ancient picture of a white, nine-tailed kitsune going 'round and 'round a man, ensnaring him in a trap from which he could not hope to escape."Yeah I know," he muttered.

Yusuke was busy making dinner for that night. It was dinner for two, a romantic meal. Keiko was coming over. She was busy preparing for her first year of college, but she still had time for him, which was nice. As Yusuke waited for what was in the oven to cook, he flipped through a book he'd taken out of the library that day. It was full of legends and myths about kitsune. He was in the middle of one story where a kitsune attached itself to a house and stole from the neighboring families to provide wealth to the family that lived there. The kitsune did so because it was masquerading as the wife of the head of house. When one head of the family would die, it would leave for a time and return as a young woman again, to wed the heir of last head that had by then taken his place.

Yusuke stared at one of the pictures showing the house overflowing with stolen treasures and surrounded by white-hot orbs of silver kitsune-bi, fox fire, that the she-fox used to keep out the family's enemies. It was a strange picture, one featuring the corpses of the family's enemies burning in the silver-white fire if they got too close, but also showing the family's small children playing happy, dancing and singing around the same supernatural flames. In the background, the oldest boy, who would grow to be the fox's next husband, practiced his sword skills on a terrified enemy trapped by the kitsune-bi.

Yusuke frowned at the mixed massage. Death, carnage, and raging fire mixed with a happy scene of a prosperous family. The raven-haired teen seriously wondered which message about the fox the artist was trying to send. As he looked at the next picture, which showed the boy all grown and marrying the she-fox in her newest guise, he decided that maybe it depended on what side of the situation a person was in. Or, in other words, whether the fox had affection or malice towards you.

Yusuke sighed. If the difference between being protected by fox fire and being roasted by it was how much the kitsune liked you, it was no wonder foxes were left offerings.

"That smells good."

Yusuke jumped and whirled to face his living room window. Kurama was sitting on the sill, legs crossed in a semi-formal business suit. His right arm was resting in his lap, his left was a bit behind him, out of sight. Yusuke peered at his hidden hand, worried about what it was hiding.

"Hiya, Kurama," Yusuke greeted, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice. "What are you doing here?"

The fox looked at him curiously with his head tiled to one side."I'm here for dinner, Yusuke. What else?" Kurama seemed honestly perplex at the question. "Oh, and I brought you a gift," he said as his hidden left hand came forward.

Yusuke braced himself, half expecting him to offer him a small dead animal or something of the like, but instead it was a box of chocolates. Halfway through his sigh of relief, Yusuke paled. He recognized the box. The woman next door and been excited to get it. Her boyfriend was overseas in France and she was saying that he had sent her fancy French chocolates. She had said there were enough in the box to eat one every night before she went to sleep as a replacement for the kiss he usually gave her. Yusuke remembered how sick he had been at such a sappy sentiment. However, now that same box was being held out to him.

Yusuke looked at the fox and tried not to frown. He wondered if he would make the situation worse by pointing out that he had stolen the box out of his neighbor's apartment. "Been to France lately, Kurama?" Yusuke asked. When in doubt, cover with sarcasm. Kurama simply smiled in his mischievous way.

"No," he responded smoothly, still holding out the box for Yusuke to come and retrieve.

Yusuke began to sweat a little. He realized with dread that he had the same feeling he used to get when a demon who might hurt Keiko was in the same place she was, or where she was about to be. It had started with Hiei. He wondered how he had come to see Kurama as a threat to her.

"Don't you want one?" Kurama asked with a small, but noticeable, frown.

Yusuke had to think fast.

"Kurama, you know Kieko's coming over tonight, don't you?" Yusuke didn't imagine there was going to be a positive reaction to the comment, but the flash of gold in the redhead's green eyes and the spike of youkai energy that came with said flash was more violent of a reaction than Yusuke had thought he would get.

Kurama put the box of chocolate down next to him on the sill and looked away at nothing in particular."She's not coming," he said matter-of-factly. "The people at her university lost a part of her test. She'll have to take it over tomorrow, so I assume she'll stay in and study all night."

Yusuke frowned. He didn't like the fact that he got the same angry, suspicious feeling when Kurama talked to him now that he got when Toguro or Sensui talked to him before. It was the sort of feeling in which every word felt like a trap, or a challenge, or a threat. He didn't like feeling that way with Kurama, but he did nonetheless.

"How you do know that?" Yusuke asked tensely. And as if fate itself was on Kurama's side, Yusuke's cell went off. He barely had to look at it to see it was Keiko. Ignoring the fox, he answered it. "Hey, Keiko. On you're way over?"

"Yusuke, I'm sorry," Kieko's voice said on the other end of the line. She sounded stressed and worried.

"What's wrong?" Yusuke asked, even though he technically already knew.

She sighed, making the cell phone cloud with static for a moment. "Part of my entrance exam was lost. It was graded, and I passed, and the grade was logged, but they can't find it anywhere! It was only one part, so they're letting me retake it tomorrow. I have to spend tonight studying, and they can't tell me what part of it I have to take, so I have to study everything. So again, I'm sorry, but I won't be able to come over tonight."

Yusuke frowned."Well… okay. But I thought you were leaving for your grandparents' house tomorrow?"

"I am. I'm leaving after the test." She paused, then repeated: "I'm sorry; I know we were supposed to spend some time together tonight. But look on the bright side: I'll only be gone a week."

"Sure," Yusuke muttered.

"Do you want to bring the meal you made tonight to me tomorrow so I can have it for lunch on the train?" Keiko sounded hopeful.

Before Yusuke could think of a response, he heard a low growl. Turning to his living room window, he saw Kurama sitting, facing the outside. He could see his face, and he wasn't growling, but it was obvious by his rigid posture that he was not happy. Yusuke turned away.

"It's not really a meal that's good reheated, and definitely not cold. I'll cook you something else, for when you get back." Yusuke hoped Keiko wouldn't be mad at him.

"Oh," she said, disappointment heavy in her voice. "Well, okay. Will you at least come see me off?"

"Sure!" Yusuke said before Kurama could put in his two cents. He figured what he'd say to that. "I'll be there."

"Great! Bye, Yusuke."

"Bye, Keiko." Yusuke said, hanging up. He sighed. Before he could turn to Kurama and demand to know how he knew about Kieko's test and if he had anything to do with it, the oven timer rang. He grumbled and got up to take out the food. He prepared the meal before going into the living room and taking his usual spot on the floor in front of the couch.

Kurama took his plate and inhaled deeply."Mm. Smells heavenly," he purred before balancing the plate on his knee and picking up his chopsticks. "Itadakimasu."

Yusuke watched him with a frown."You know, this was suppose to be a romantic dinner for Keiko," he muttered curtly. What had gotten into Kurama? He never used to be this rude. At first he just showed up randomly, shyly muttering how good everything smelt, but now he was manipulating things? Where was the over-polite Kurama he knew?

"She certainly is demanding, isn't she?" Kurama said casually before taking another bite.

"Demanding?" Yusuke said, rising his voice. "What do you mean, demanding?"

"Asking you to bring this to the station," Kurama muttered, putting his hand politely over his food-filled mouth. He swallowed and took a moment to smile and nod to himself before continuing with a disapproving frown. "Shameful. As if you don't have anything better to do."

"She's my girlfriend!" Yusuke insisted loudly. Kurama barely seemed to notice.

"Yes, well. Have you had sex yet?" he casually asked. The redhead picked up another bite of food and put in it his mouth as he waited for an answer. Yusuke simply sat with his mouth hanging open. Kurama had always been blunt and to the point when he spoke, but only to enemies who he didn't believe deserved for him to be polite to, and never to the point of asking something like that.

Yusuke looked away and frowned."There's more to a relationship than sex," he said.

Kurama nodded in a very uninterested way."Ever seen her naked? Bathed with her? Kissed her anywhere beside her lips? Slept in the same bed with her?"

"Since when do you make a relationship to be nothing more than what you're doing in the bedroom?" Yusuke asked angrily. Kurama stared at him. For the first time that night, he noticed Kurama had a tail swaying behind him.

"I don't, Yusuke," Kurama answered coolly. "But there are certain things in a romantic relationship that make it different from other relationships. For instance, does she make you weak? Does her will influence your decisions whether you like it or not?" Kurama leaned a little forward. "Really Yusuke, do you ever think of her except as an afterthought when nothing, absolutely nothing else is occupying your mind?

"You didn't tell her when you were a spirit detective, didn't try to cover your tracks. You had Botan handle her. And you didn't even tell her who Botan was at first. She thought Botan was your girlfriend, and despite the fact you were supposed to be 'schoolyard sweethearts,' you didn't think to take the time to straighten out the misunderstanding. I'm not sure you even noticed her distress. You just left her to wondering what was going on and fearing you had broke her heart and were betraying her.

"You always rushed off and left her without a second thought. You did it for the dark tournament. And when Raizen called to you, where did you go? You said you were like a dog, howling at the moon, wanting both here and there. You came back for her, sure, but you gave yourself three years of her short human life span to do so. I saw you several times after the tournament for king ended, and every time you were chasing something. 'After this one, after this one,' you would say. Honestly, if you loved her, would you do that to her?" Kurama finished, his gaze intense.

Yusuke stared, mouth open. He wasn't sure what he could say to that. He wasn't sure why the fox was saying it in the first place. Was he ... Did Kurama love Keiko? Did he think he could be better for her?

Yusuke shifted and looked down at his plate. The rest of the meal was silent as both men finished their food.

After Kurama was done, he set down his chopsticks with a sigh. "Gochisousama," he muttered, then moved the plate away.

Yusuke looked up at him without speaking. He watched as the kitsune picked up the box of chocolates."You stole that," he muttered blankly. Kurama didn't even look at him.

"Will you have one now?" the redhead asked, tearing open the box and setting aside the top.

Yusuke sighed. He wasn't going to win. Going over to the window on his hand and knees, he figured he might as well eat the damn things since Kurama had stolen it for him.

As he reached the redhead, the fox picked up a chocolate with his slender first finger and thumb and held it out to Yusuke. "Open up," he muttered as he held the chocolate aloft. Yusuke frowned, but Kurama just looked at him calmly and smiled. "I went through all the trouble after all."

Yusuke gritted his teeth but sat down on the floor in defeat. He was not going to open his mouth while he was on hands and knees and be fed like a house pet.

He looked up at the kitsune and reluctantly opened his mouth, allowing the other to place the chocolate on his tongue. The raven-haired teen couldn't help but notice that Kurama took his sweet time pulling his fingers from his mouth, even after he closed it, unintentionally wrapping his lips around the redhead's finger's. He also couldn't help but notice that Kurama licked his fingers directly afterwards as well.

As Yusuke chewed the soft chocolate he watched the fox. So much for Kurama being in love with Keiko. Even Yusuke wasn't dense enough to not see what was going on. Kurama ate another chocolate, but only after licking and sucking on it for an agonizing moment did he slurp it into his mouth. Yusuke stared, ungraceful and open-mouth, for the moment too aroused by the sensual display to be mortified that one of his best MALE friends was getting him hot.

Kurama looked down at teen. "Want another?" he asked. Kurama's voice had always been smooth, but just then, if Yusuke had been asked what the sound of silk was, he'd have said Kurama's speaking voice.

Swallowing the huge amount of hot saliva in his mouth, Yusuke gave a dumb, barely-there nod. Kurama picked up another chocolate, brought it not out to Yusuke, but to his own mouth. He licked it then bit it with fangs that Yusuke swore weren't there a moment before. After bringing half the chocolate into his mouth he held the remainder out to Yusuke who leaned up and forward to receive the treat before he could even think about what he was doing or with whom.

Kurama seemed to be watching him as he chewed and swallowed, and then reached out and ran his thumb over his lips. "More?" he asked, and Yusuke stared up at him, frozen, transfixed by the sound of the voice, the feel of his fingers…

"Aah..." was all the sound Yusuke could manage. He hadn't been so frozen when he'd had the spirit cuffs on. He couldn't move a muscle in his whole body, not even when Kurama slid off the sill and onto the floor and took his face in his hand. The brash teen could only stare as the redhead got closer and closer and pressed their mouths together.

Even when he felt himself falling back, his back hitting the floor and his shirt sliding over his skin, he couldn't move, couldn't protest, couldn't even ask himself 'why?' in his own thoughts.

Yusuke felt Kurama's lips press over and over again to his skin. First his lips, then other parts of his face, his jaw, his neck, his shoulders. He shuddered a bit when claws ghosted over his skin, but other than that, he might as well have been paralyzed.

Kurama's tongue darted out here and there to taste him, and eventually rolled gently over one of his nipples. Yusuke moaned, just a little, but even the tiny sound from his own voice was enough to break the spell.

He sat up and pushed Kurama away. Scooting backward on his butt away from him, Yusuke began to breath heavily. He stared at the floor for some time before hearing Kurama's voice.

"Yusuke?"

When he looked up, that look of Kurama-ly concern was written over the fox's features. It was a look that Yusuke associated with the demon and comforting in the mist of all of Kurama's foreign actions that evening. Yusuke couldn't help but feel that no matter how different the fox had acted that night, the same good intentions as always were behind it. After all, kitsune were tricky, but loyal.

"I need some time," Yusuke muttered and watched without moving as Kurama stood and disappeared out the window.

Yusuke lay down on his back on the living room floor and sighed. Well, this explained Kurama's behavior lately. But now he needed something to explain this: why would Kurama be attracted to him? And why be so ... demonic about it? Not that it wasn't sort of a turn on. Yusuke had always liked wild, animalistic women. But he liked them in phases, which is why he liked Kieko. Besides that, Kurama, while animalistic, was most certainly not a woman. However, despite this, a little voice in the back of his head, the one that always talked him into taking or doing whatever he wanted without any other concerns, came out to reason with him.

Kurama's only wild some of the time, it said. You know he's also dependable, reasonable, loving and caring. The same things you liked in Keiko. Plus, with him you get the bonuses of the same life span, him liking to fight, him being a demon who can help you with demonic ... stuff. And! The sex has got to be hot! He's part of a freaking race that is known for being lovers! Think about it!

Yusuke did think about it. Kurama was everything he loved about Keiko with all the extra bits he'd never get with her. But then he frowned. Kurama was still not a woman.

So? His inner voice screamed at him. He's at least twice as good looking as Keiko and besides, has she ever made your whole body useless, because you wanted her so much? Has seeing HER eat a chocolate ever given you wood? No! And anyway, when things are weighing heavily on your mind, who do you call? Who do you want to help you and make things clear? Who's held your freakin' hand through the most terrifying moment of your life? When your back's against the wall, who do you think of? Who are you happy to see even when you're beaten and miserable and looking stupid? Not Keiko! Like he said, unless you're having leisure time with nothing serious to occupy your short attention span, you barely think of her.

Yusuke sighed. He couldn't argue with logic like that. There was the matter that he'd never thought of this before. He wasn't going to dump Keiko and shack up with Kurama on a whim and without being sure it was what he wanted. Jumping to his feet, he nodded. He'd have to figure this out. As he glanced at the window, he thought of something: he should have looked to see where the hell Kurama came from and where his disappeared to when he used the window to get in. Making a mental note to ask the redhead next time he saw him, the teen collected the dinner things, washed them, and proceeded to bed.

The next morning, he went to school to return the book. He supposed he was done with it. Although he was tempted to take out a book on homosexuality; last night had presented him with a very unexpected dream.

~Flashback~

Yusuke moaned as he felt a mouth on his "lower bits". His hands were in soft long hair. He bucked a little into the hot wet mouth and moaned. Yusuke couldn't help but whine a little when his manhood was released, but a passionate kiss on his mouth soothed him. "I love you," he managed between kisses and his own panting. "Kurama. I love you."

Kurama backed up from him so he could see his face and smiled."Tell me again, Yusuke."

"I love you, Kurama. The way you touch me, the sound of your voice, your eyes, your lips. I love every inch of you. Kurama, I-" Yusuke was cut off by Kurama's lips on his and a sharp ache between his legs.

Yusuke woke up with a yelp while throwing himself into a sitting position. He looked around his apartment, half expecting Kurama to be there watching him, but found himself alone.

Calming down, he sighed only to shift and notice a tightness in his pants. Yusuke looked down at himself and shook his head. "No. Oh God, no." Yusuke would have given anything to not be hard over Kurama of all people. Or any guy for that matter.

Yusuke puzzled over how this could have happened. Maybe Kurama had invaded his dreams? Kitsune could do that after all. But Yusuke knew that was unlikely; Kurama would never violate him like that. But that left him with a dream in which he told the fox he loved him and got fucked by him, and then waking up hard over it.

Sighing, Yusuke flopped down, wincing at the painful tightness in his pants. Giving up, he slid his hand into his pants and began to fix his problem. Moaning, Yusuke can't help but drift back into the dream. He faintly wondered why he saw himself as the catcher but soon lust clouded his head. He bucked into his hand, too aroused to care he was muttering Kurama's name.

"Fuck, Kurama! Yes! Right there!"

Yusuke came violently, twisting in his sheets, then settled into post-orgasm calm. As he slowly took his hand out of his pants to wipe it off, he noticed the blue-black marker of his demon energy standing out against his skin. Yusuke stared at them with lazy interest. They'd never showed up when he'd hit orgasm before.

~Present~

Yusuke sighed to himself. Too bad there wasn't a book on demonic homosexuality. The teen was fairly sure that if had stayed human he wouldn't be in this mess. Or if his stupid ancestor hadn't been from a race of all-male demons. All-male freaking demons! No wonder Yusuke was getting wood over Kurama.

Sitting down at the table in the library, he glanced over the book one more time. He had thought it was Kurama, but now he saw it was at least half-him. Staring at one of the pictures, he dazed off into his own thoughts. In them, Kurama was cooking for him in an apron. In nothing but an apron.

Yusuke almost had a physical reaction to that until he was shaken. Looking up, he saw Takanaka-sensei. "Hey, Teach," he said, glad that he wasn't sporting a hard on under the table.

"More research on kitsune, Urameshi-san?" He looked at book with interest.

Yusuke laughed."Yeah. But I think I have enough now."

"I see. So is your kitsune a zenko or a yako?"

Yusuke blinked. He'd never thought of that. Would Kurama be considered a zenko, a good fox of the gods; or a yako, a mischievous and treacherous "field fox"? Well "Youko" Kurama was his name. However, Yusuke highly doubted he was the same person he was now when he got the original "youko" title.

"He's reformed," Yusuke answered after some thought.

Takanaka-sensei raised an eyebrow."Reformed?" he repeated skeptically.

"Yeah," Yusuke confirmed. "Say, I have to be going. Will you put this in the bin for me, Teach? Thanks! See ya."

Yusuke rushed out of the library before Takanaka-sensei could say anything. The man stared at the door before looking down at the book. He remembered seeing one of Yusuke's friends. He was a boy in college and went to a good school, if was thinking of right one. He'd overheard him and Kuwabara talking to Yusuke once. Kuwabara had called the boy a fox demon. "You fox demons are so strange," the orange-haired teen had said. Takanaka-sensei thought. Sure, he'd once seen Yusuke fly off the school roof, hanging onto an oar being driven by a woman with blue hair, but could he really believe one of the boy's friends was a youkai? Shaking his head, the teacher decided to put it out of his thoughts. Yusuke always had been complicated.

Back at his apartment, Yusuke was busy making lunch. He was planning on giving it to Keiko at the train station in the few hours. As he went through the kitchen making the lunch, he came across the box of chocolates from the night before. Staring down at them, he frowned. What was he going to do? Kurama had always been close to him. He'd never had to ask himself if he could trust him. It just happened. But Kieko… She'd always been there for him. Could he really just leave her and go chasing after Kurama?

Sighing, the teen decided to put it out of his mind. He'd figure out eventually. Usually the answer came flying towards him and smacked him in the head, so he wasn't worried.

Packing up the lunch, Yusuke thought maybe he should wear something better than his normal clothes before going to see Keiko. Some clean jeans without any holes or anything, a nice shirt without any crud on it; maybe he'd even wash his hair and leave out the gel. She'd like that. It was important that he look good today. After all, Keiko was leaving for a week, and who knew if they would even be together when she got back.

As he went to leave the kitchen and get ready, he again spotted the box of chocolates from Kurama, and once again wondered if it was really the best thing if he left Keiko to try out a relationship with Kurama. What if things didn't work out between them, and Keiko got a boyfriend in the meantime? What if she was angry with him for leaving her for a guy? – Especially a guy as pretty as Kurama.

If things didn't work out between him a Kurama, he couldn't just go back to Keiko, as if expecting her to wait for him. Again. The only reason she taken him back the last time was because he had come back right as her patience ran out. But then again, Kurama was probably a better match for him in a lot of ways. Just because Keiko was his first love, didn't mean that she was his soul mate.

Sighing yet again at the dilemma, Yusuke decided to take the safer path and put it out of his mind so he could go wash up.

At the train station, Yusuke looked around absently as he waited fir Keiko. He wasn't actually looking forward to seeing her. Nothing had "hit" him yet and he was worried as to how he was going to react to her. Was he going to do something stupid and say that he was leaving her? Was he going to do something even stupider and tell her that Kurama was pursuing him?

Honestly, there was no good way out of this situation. It didn't help that he couldn't think straight because somewhere in the train station someone was badly playing some sort of flute. Sighing, he looked at the clock tower standing on the doorway to the platform. Four-fifteen. She'd be here any second and he still had no idea what he wanted to do.

"Yusuke."

The raven-haired teen nearly winced. The voice was too soft and sultry and smooth to be Keiko.

Turning, he gazed at the worried expression of Kurama. The fox had his brows furrowed and his hair was tied back.

Yusuke tilted his head to get a better looked at the kitsune's usual "perfectly-messy and just-right" hair. The long mane of red locks were yanked up, twisted, and held in place by a band. The band didn't catch every silken strand, and those that had fallen loose were haphazardly tucked into the band. It was, in no way, the neat-and-orderly style Yusuke was used to seeing the fox sport. His forelocks were the same. They were swept here and there and even sticking out in places. The longer ones got caught up in the ponytail, so that parts of his forelocks were pulled far off the delicate and precise angles of the kitsune's face. All in all, it looked like the band would be hard to get out and like once it was free, there would be difficult tangles to deal with.

Yusuke stared, wide-eyed and a little opened-mouthed. The rest of the fox seemed all right; he wore a button-up shirt and jacket with a tie, slacks, and dress shoes.

However, his hair.

The only time Yusuke had ever seen Kurama's hair in such a state was when he was fighting. And in fights that were not particularly dangerous or difficult, he still managed to not muss his hair. The fact that it was in such a state troubled Yusuke immensely.

As he took a closer look, originally looking for blood or injuries, he saw the dark look in the kitsune's eyes. It looked as if he had slept terribly, or not at all. And once he was looking close, he saw that Kurama's shirt wasn't buttoned at the top and wasn't tucked in very neatly. The tie was pulled loose and the good dress shoes looked as if he'd been walking through mud with them. Yusuke frowned as he realized something in that moment.

"Are those your clothes from yesterday?" he asked.

Kurama looked down at himself in curious, but slightly disinterested surprise, as if he had forgotten all about clothes in general, let alone which ones he was wearing."Un ... I guess they are," he murmured. Yusuke noticed now that his voice was dark and heavy with thought.

"Hey. Are you alright?" the teen asked, giving Kurama one more once-over, still looking for the reason of his friend's disheveled state.

"..." Kurama breathed out. The air made his vocal cords tremble, but it was far from an answer; even a wordless answer. "I'm sorry, Yusuke."

Yusuke looked up. The word "what" was on his lips, but it got cut off.

"I'm sorry for what I did. I know you love Keiko. I know I could have you if I wanted. I could trick you, catch you in an illusion." Kurama looked at him. Yusuke got nervous when their eyes met. Kurama's gold-flecked, green eyes held a strange mixture of sadness, fear, and anger. "But I don't want that. I could never be satisfied with something like that! I love you, Yusuke. More than I'll ever want anyone, or anything, I want you. I would do anything to have you."

Yusuke stepped back as the train station melted away. In it's place stood a forest. It wasn't an earthly forest. The trees and plants looked like the earthly versions, but something was off about them. Yusuke looked around, growing tense. Then he noticed that he was in different clothes. He'd worn nice jeans and button-up shirt. Except now he was wearing one of the outfits he used for fighting, instead of his street clothes. Also, his markings were visible, and his hair long.

"Do you see how easy that was?"

Yusuke shifted his eyes. Kurama stood there, watching him from up in a tree. His silver fox form leaned against the trunk, and stood out against the dark green background.

"It was that simple," he continued as he jumped down. "I hardly had to try. If I wanted you - no, if I wanted it this way, I could have you."

Yusuke found himself walking towards the fox, and then walking next to him down a path.

"Yusuke, there's so much I could give you. More than a silly childhood crush and sweet memories. I could be your companion for life. For your entire demonic life. I could teach you all sorts of things, and we could see all sorts of places." He stopped as they came to a cliff. Below them was a breathtaking landscape, at once part South American jungle and part Makai forest, sprawled out before them. "And I could keep giving you what you already get from me." Kurama turned, staring Yusuke down with concern - or maybe love? - in his eyes. "I understand you, Yusuke, probably more that you understand yourself sometimes. I am part of you. I don't understand how you don't see that! We were meant to be together. Haven't you notice how we ... what we ...?" Kurama growled and turned his face away.

Yusuke had never seen the fox at a loss for words.

Yusuke instinctively reached out for the fox, taking his wrist and running his thumb over the back of his smooth, white hand in a small gesture of comfort.

Kurama looked at his hand and then at the raven-haired teen. His eyes seemed to be asking if he understood. They were filled with desperation and a need to make him understand. Yusuke opened his mouth but could say nothing at first. He simply stood for a long time with his hand around Kurama's wrist, staring into his eyes. Then he managed to say something: "I don't want to hurt Keiko. If this ends up not working ..."

Kurama's eyes widened then a mix of hurt and anger filled kitsune snatched his hand away and stepped back. Yusuke opened his mouth to console the fox. He had realized as soon as he said it that what he said had sounded… He wasn't sure, but it didn't sound as kind as he had meant it. But before he could say anything to correct himself, the cliff crumbled.

Yusuke screamed as he fell, plummeting to the ground below them. As he fell, he watched Kurama stare down at him with what Yusuke could have sworn was hate.

Gasping in fear and surprise, Yusuke opened his eyes to find himself back in the train station. Kurama stared at him with furiously smoldering eyes. "It would be easy Yusuke," he said in a low dark voice. "I could wrap you so tightly in illusions you didn't even remember anything else." Kurama shook with what Yusuke assumed was rage. He fully expected to be hit any moment, but then he noticed the shiny film over Kurama's eyes. "But that's not what I want. For once, it wouldn't satisfy me to just force my company on a person I want. I wouldn't be ... I won't be happy unless you come to me freely. But now I think I was a fool for wanting you. If you are honestly going to reject all that I offer, all that we have between us, because you're afraid of hurting her –" Kurama looked at him with a sneer, "–Or afraid of risking loosing her as your safety net," – he might as well as said a curse word – "Then you're not the man I thought you were." Kurama soften a little suddenly. "The Yusuke I know is wonderfully brash and impulsive. He wouldn't stick close to what's safe just to avoid being hurt by taking risks." Kurama looked at him with some fondness before hardening again. "But if this is what you're deciding, I've made a terrible error in judgment. I've mistaken you for someone you are obviously not."

Kurama turned and walked away, leaving Yusuke to stare at his back.

The teen was frozen for a minute before the sound of some sort of flute broke through to him. It was that same badly-played flute as before. Why was the person still here? Looking around, Yusuke was perplexed to find almost every person he'd seen when he'd last looked around. Looking back at the clock tower he saw the hands switch to four-eighteen. Three minutes? It hadn't even been a full five minutes since Kurama had arrived? That didn't feel right…

"Yusuke?" came an excited voice.

The teen turned to see Keiko running towards him. She put down her bag and hugged him. He barely had time to move his box lunch out of the way. Yusuke hugged the woman back, albeit awkwardly.

"You actually came?" Keiko asked with a smile.

Yusuke blinked."Huh? I told you I would come," he said with a confused frown.

"I know. But sometimes you say things to make me happy for the moment and forget them later. I wasn't sure if you were going to be here." Keiko glanced down. "Did you make me a lunch?"

Smiling a little, Yusuke handed over the bento."Yeah, I did." He paused, momentarily nibbling his bottom lip. "Um, Keiko? We have to talk. Before you leave, I have to tell you something important."

Kurama sat at home, having a man-eating plant shoot razor sharp thorns dipping with acidic poison at a wall in his bedroom. A short dresser was in front of the target wall. It had nothing on it but an eight-by-ten photo in a black metal frame. From within the frame, Yusuke smiled to the side, unaware that his photograph was being snapped by a sneaking kitsune. Usually Kurama hid the picture in a drawer. Hiei often liked to look at it and laugh at him in his own silent way. He didn't laugh because he loved the male; he laughed because Kurama refused to do anything about it but sneak a photo and pretend he didn't feel anything.

Kurama shot another dart past the picture. He had wanted to shoot the picture full of acidic thorns but he found he didn't have the heart, even with the pain he had ringing in his chest. In the end, he still loved the toushin.

Thinking that, Kurama's anger flared. Three thorns went fly towards the wall. One of them actually nicked the frame and knocked it over. Without thinking, Kurama jumped up and collected the frame. Holding it to his chest, he trembled.

How had he fallen this far? How had he been brought to his knees with love by a man he would have killed on sight only a hundred years before? A single, dewdrop-like tear rolled down the kitsune's face before anger overtook him again and he threw the picture on the floor with all the strength he could muster for such a sudden act. The force smashed the metal frame, even on the carpeted floor, and Kurama stared down at the mess.

He knelt and brushed the pieces of the frame away from the picture so he could see it. Yusuke was still smiling in the photo. Kurama, with bile rising in his throat over his own weakness, began to take the picture from the mess, intending to find it another home that he was less likely to smash.

"I'm glad that wasn't the real me."

Kurama stood and whirled around. He'd been so far in his own thoughts he hadn't noticed Yusuke at his window. The teen opened the window fully and climbed on the sill.

"What are you doing here?" Kurama asked. He wasn't sure whether to be grateful or furious. Yusuke looked at him blankly, and then sighed and turned his eyes to the floor.

"Look, Kurama," he said with a bit of an edge to his voice. "I'm not good with words like you are. And even you were at a loss of this. But ..." He looked up. There was a fire in his brown eyes. "I know I'm not going to protect Keiko by telling her what she wants to hear. Leading her to believe that I want what I don't isn't going to save her any pain in the end. It isn't fair to her, and it isn't fair to me. I have to be honest. We were childhood friends first and that'll never change, but loving her is something I can do and still be honest with either of us."

Kurama dared a smile, feeling this was too good to be true. He patiently waited for Yusuke to finish, just to make sure it wasn't too good.

"Besides," Yusuke said casually, lounging on the sill. "Sticking to the safe zone and being afraid of risking it all just because I might get a little banged up isn't my style!"

Kurama let out chuckle. Hopelessly rude and immature. Yusuke was incorrigible. He was blunt. He was selfish. He gave no thought to his actions or words whatsoever. He was perfect.

"So this is how it is?" Kurama asked. "I have more than just a picture of you?"

Yusuke softened into sincere care."You always have. You could have said something before, instead of tripping me up like this."

Kurama smirked. "I'm a fox."

"Well, yeah. There is that." Yusuke laughed before turning his chocolate eyes back to Kurama. He looked at him fondly before speaking in a low voice, "Your hair's going to be mess when you manage to get that band out."

Kurama swiftly brought his hand to his hair. He'd forgotten the state he'd left it in.

"I can help you get it out. You helped me with my hair when the demon in me kicked in."

Kurama stared at Yusuke, smiling genuinely."That'd be nice. Thank you, Yusuke."

* * *

If you liked this you might want to check out the sequel, How Kuwabara Was Deluded By Foxes. Check my profile for the story. Tee-hee.


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